Vengeance (The Prince's Games Book 1) by Rebecca Grey (electric book reader TXT) 📕

Hedda keeps pace with me easily while I can tell that both Marcello and Juilliard are forcing themselves to move slower, only for my benefit. Neither Sloane or Finnegan wait for us to catch up as they start to taunt the growling monster ahead.

Chains scrape against the ground, its large hairy knuckles slashing out with sharpened nails. We edge as close as we are willing and the Criosphinx puffs its chest, moving in a large arching circle to rumble a fierce snarl. Droplets of hot saliva splatter against my pant legs, soaking through to my skin.

Finnegan rushes forward, throwing a punch into the animal’s ribs, moving in a flash back outside of its reach. The Criosphinx whips around, making the closest chain taunt me. I grab a hold of Juilliard's shoulder, yelling over the animal’s roar that blows back Sloane’s ponytail.

"Hoist me up!"

Juilliard shakes his head but interlocks his finger and crouches. "You want me to toss you onto it's back?"

A shriek cuts the air. Not the sound of an injury, but the sound of death. Red rains down, beads of blood dot against my face, against Juilliard, and the ground. My attention snaps to Finnegan and Sloane who ignore the sound and keep darting in and out of the creature’s reach, trying to tire it with every slashing fist.

Juilliard breathes in my ear. "Bloody hell Nilsa, don't look."

It's too late for that. My eyes land on the Criosphinx two entrances down where Mavi’s team is skittering behind the animal and into the green maze. Between its teeth, between its two front paws, it turns Davison to pulp, shaking its head wildly like a dog with a toy. The motion sends a new wave of blood over the arena. Even with a whole team between us, the blood splatter of the only other Human in the Games still reaches us where we stand.

"Nilsa!" Marcello grabs my chin and pulls my vision away. My eyes are wide, every ounce of blood rushing out of my face. How easily this monster could turn me into a bag of bones. "You got this?"

"Yes," I rasp. Davison's fate is not my own. Davison's fate is not my own. I repeat the thought again and again, turning to look at Juilliard with a nod. Had Davison known he was meant to be the sacrifice? Did he care? "Toss me."

My weight presses against his fingers. His hold dips before he grinds out a grunt and throws his arms up toward the monster. I push off his interlaced fingers, stretching in the air. His momentum carries through my entire body, making me weightless—until I'm not. Air is pushed from my lungs and my hands scramble against surprisingly silky fur as I smack against the creature’s back.

It lifts its head, trying to reach where I slink up its back. Every inhale and exhale presses its ribcage against my thighs. With its horns within reach, I dig my heel into its side to gain some sort of footing to push myself forward. Hurriedly, I wrap my fingers around each curve.

"Atta girl!!" Marcello screams. "Break its neck!!"

My teeth grate against each other. Sweat gathers along my forehead. I yank, forcing its head to the side. But the animal fights me.

"Fuck!" I scream, putting all my strength into the movement, even as the animal bucks, trying to toss me from its back. It pulls its head in the opposite direction I try to force it. Oh no, no, no, no. Realization hits far too late. "I can’t, it’s too strong!" I holler.

"I'm coming." Marcello moves to Juilliard.

"No! You don't have to." Juilliard waves him off. "Look!"

I can't follow the point of his finger, but I know Hedda stands in that general direction, disappearing where my vision does not reach. Did Hedda just enter the maze?

"Nilsa. Keep doing what you're doing. We can sneak in around it while it's distracted," Marcello calls, already heading behind the animal.

Hard muscle and bone smack against my body. My hands hold tightly, but every roll of the feline body below bruises me all the way down to my knees. Hair is already coming loose from the braid I'd worked it back into, my head thrown in wild circles of whiplash.

"Don't you leave me up here, Torres!" All I have to cling to, other than the horns that are quickly becoming coated in the perspiration from my hands, is the trust between him and I. It doesn't feel strong enough. In fact, I'm certain it's not, and I'll have to find my own way down from this animal.

"We go in alive together, I'm going to make sure we all come out alive too!" He shouts, but he's already over the long chains and sprinting into the long hall of the maze. In a moment's notice, my heart seems to drop from my chest.

He won’t leave me. He won’t leave me. I try to convince myself.

My neck aches from the stark angle to which I twist to see them, while also being tossed about like a rag doll. I curl my leg up into my torso, holding onto the horns with just my upper body where my strength is starting to dissolve, only narrowly avoiding the sharp canines that nip at where my leg had been. I don't have long. I can't hold this position forever.

"Nils, slide down its back and run!" Juilliard shouts.

"That's not a fucking plan you jackass!" I half scream half cry the words. I can't die ten minutes into the game. I can't give fucking King Caspar the satisfaction of winning any money on me whatsoever. There is a buzzing in my ears or maybe that's just the screaming of the spectators.

"I'm going to distract it. But move fast, because I'll be pissed if I get bitten this early in the game." Marcello darts